Secondly, The Black Clouds is a fantastic band name! If you've ever seen Ken Burns' Dust Bowl documentary (and really, you SHOULD see it), you know just how scary black clouds can be. There were folks living Oklahoma back then, particularly those of the religious variety that believed these dust storms signaled the end of the world. With the fire red sun in the morning, when it could be seen, and the pitch black clouds that were dark enough to black out the sun, can you really blame them?

You start to wonder if there's some manic depression running through the members of this New Jersey band, however. When they sing, "Why do I feel so down?/There is no reason" during "No Reason," a psychologist would diagnose that statement as a classic instance of depression. Then on "Again," they sing, "Again/Stuck at the bottom," which sounds to be a song about one that is contemplating suicide.

Musically, this act plays grunge rock with a mainstream attitude. It may be bass-heavy and dark, but the melodies are memorable and the singing is expressive. One titled "All or Nothing," for instance, features an opening riff that sounds a lot like Alice Cooper's "School's Out."

Although a song like "Fray" breaks from a harder rocking pattern and softens the sonic temporarily in sections, this album is nevertheless pretty much hard rock from start to finish. The drums pound, the bass thumps and the guitars and vocal scream, most the time.

With fine albums like this one, it's always difficult to pick out just one favorite song. However, "Stalemate" sounds best � at least today. Maybe this is due to its twang-y, twisty guitar riff. It may also be because of the Soundgarden-ish harmony vocals. Whatever it is, it works.

They say every cloud has a silver lining. It's a saying that focuses all the attention on the shining outer, and away from the foreboding inner part. With The Black Clouds, though, all focus is centered on the stark, dark inside. There's a lot of darkness in life and Better Days (what an ironic title, eh?) spends most of its time exposing darkness. The only way to eliminate a problem is to locate it and obliterate it. That seems to be what The Black Clouds are all about.

"Blue Blocker" is one of the most ironic rock songs recorded in a long time. It's all about having a lazy day in the sun. Just relaxing, watching the birds. However, these words are sung with the most angry, guttural vocals you can imagine. Most folks know how to just chill on a summer day. The Black Clouds, by their very nature, simply don't fit into the summer season. Garbage had a great song called "Only Happy When It Rains." It's not a The Black Clouds tune, but it could very easily be this act's theme song.